Page 93 of Loving Taylor

I heard the slight, sharp inhale beside me and saw her look away. When I looked back, Slater's eyes met mine. I could see the pained look like he knew that no matter how hard he fought he wouldn't be able to stop what was happening with Jordan.

It only reminded me of my own struggle with Taylor. From the beginning I’d felt confident that we would be able to keep things physical, and look at what had happened. Now she was the only one who mattered and I would do whatever I had to do to keep us together.

Then Connor came out of the room and I pushed off the wall. He looked solemn, which made me feel a moment of panic. Was it that bad? Feeling uncertain, I flicked my tongue against my lip ring.

"How's she?" I asked, feeling anxious. I tightened my hands into fists. I wanted to make Eric suffer as much—no, more—than Taylor had. The truth was I wanted to wipe him from existence. He had no right to still breathe after what he had done.

"I'm not going to lie," Connor said to me, looking visibly shaken. "It looks...bad."

I couldn't imagine anything other than her flawless porcelain skin with big blue eyes.

I would have to face the physical repercussions of her attack and it would only make the guilt harder to bear. If I had been here it wouldn't have happened. My fists tightened harder as I rode the anger directed at myself.

"Go home and get some sleep," Connor suggested to everyone.

The door at the end of the hallway opened and Jeff walked in. I saw the curious looks of the people who didn't know him. To a stranger his outward appearance would be scary but to people who knew him, we knew he was a good guy. Slater nodded at him.

I shook hands with him when he came to a stop beside me. I owed him so much for finding Taylor.

"They get him?" I asked. He nodded. I should have felt relieved but I would have preferred to teach him a lesson before he had been taken into custody.

Everyone watched Jeff with interest.

"This is Jeff," I said, introducing him to Connor. "He's the one who found Taylor."

"Thank you," Connor murmured as he shook Jeff's hand.

"You're welcome," Jeff responded. "She's strong. She escaped on her own, I only found her."

"She is," Connor confirmed in a murmur.

She had made it out of this alive and that was all the counted.

Jordan yawned.

"Let me take you back to the apartment," Matthew said to her.

"I don't want to leave her," she said, looking up at him.

I gave Slater a side glance to see how he was coping and his attention was firmly on the two of them.

"You won't be able to see her until tomorrow. You'll need sleep so you can be strong for her when she wakes up."

"Okay," she agreed.

They walked up to Connor. She refused to look at Slater but her body language toward my best friend spoke volumes. Matthew told Connor he was going to take Jordan home.

"That's fine, I'll come back later to shower and change," Connor said.

Her eyes drifted back to Slater. They were both fighting a losing battle but they had to figure it out for themselves.

I would have my hands full with looking after Taylor. I planned to spend every moment I could with her to help her get back to her life before the attack.

Besides, I still had no idea how to be with a girl. I wanted to be with Taylor but I was worried that, despite my strong feelings for her, I still couldn't make it work.

"Thank you for finding her," I said to Jeff. I had been a crazy asshole since I had discovered she was missing and I had taken my frustration out on the closest to me, which included Jeff.

"I really didn't believe she would still be alive."

I hadn't allowed myself to consider any other option.